


Of Books and Blackthorns

by ButTheMarauders



Series: Pre-Lady Midnight One-shots [1]
Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters
Genre: Books, Lady Midnight - Freeform, Malcolm knows Johnlock is canon, Malcolm wants a 7 year old to read 50 Shades of Grey, Malcolm's POV, One Shot, Sherlock Holmes - Freeform, Stephen King - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-06-04 02:24:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6637204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ButTheMarauders/pseuds/ButTheMarauders
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Of all of the Blackthorn children (and Emma), there are 3 who enjoy reading the most: Ty, Dru and Tavvy. Why, what type of books, and what does Malcolm think of them?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Books and Blackthorns

**Author's Note:**

> My first Lady Midnight fanfiction. Ty and Tavvy are my favourite Blackthorns, with Dru a close second, so I couldn't resist. This is set before Lady Midnight, by the way. (Well, I guess obviously since Malcolm is in it as a main character.)

1:

Malcolm was visiting the Los Angeles Institute, as he so regularly did. Upon his arrival, it was, unsurprisingly, Julian who greeted him, rather than Arthur Blackthorn, who was too deeply medicated and lost in his insanity to do much of anything. Malcolm supposed he would have to forgive him, even if Arthur was dressed terribly in his loss of stability.

Anyway, Julian had welcomed him in to the old-fashioned building, standing straight but anybody with half of a brain could see the exhaustion on his eyes. Malcolm knew enough about restless nights to know that they usually did not occur for no reason; he had no doubt that Julian was playing at father yet again.

As usual, the Blackthorns greeted him with as much grace as they could muster. Malcolm supposed their irritating behaviour was something genetic, after ehat had happened to Annabel. Tavvy- who was 4 at the time- gave him a sticky hug. Malcolm didn't want to know what he had been eating- pink was one of his favourite colours, but not when it was smeared around the dewy skin of a toddler. 10 year old Dru enveloped him in a sudden hug that sent him stumbling backwards. After regaining composure, he was hit playfully by Emma. He didn't fight back. Livvy had made her way downstairs to offer him a small smile in greeting, but there was a frown painting her face as she glanced back upstairs.

 "What's wrong?" Malcolm asked Livia warily. He hoped it was romantic trouble. That, he could help with- he had seen the Notebook enough times. Livvy's shoulders slumped. "It's Ty. He's re-reading Sherlock Holmes." She explained unhelpfully. However, all of the Blackthroms around him nodded as if that were a perfectly understandable answer. "Oh? What's so bad about that- other than the droll plot? Johnlock really should have been added in properly, rather than infered." Malcolm asked, as well as adding an unnecessary comment. "He's been reading it all day. He won't talk to me. I know he's listening, but....I just wanted to talk about becoming parabatai." Livvy told him. Malcolm nodded, though he really hoped he didn't have to help. He had been told time and time again that Tiberius processed things in different ways, and Malcolm most certainly did not want to try and empathise with him.  However, melancholy shone in Livvy's Blackthorn green-blue eyes, and Malcolm sighed in defeat. "I'll talk to him." 

Malcolm jogged upstairs and pushed through the doorway into Ty's room, not bothering to knock, just as no one had never bothered to tell him the truth. Unsurprisingly, Tiberius ignored him, emerged in Sherlock Holmes with his earplugs in. "Hi." Malcolm said eventually and unsurely, approaching the desk Ty sat at. He nodded slightly in his direction, which Malcolm knew to be a greeting. "So, do you think Johnlock is true love?"  _I need to bring True Love back,_ Malcolm thought. Tiberius had apparently registered the combination of John and Sherlock, because he raised his head in interest, placing his book on the table and allowing his earplugs to dangle around his neck as they blared classical music. A frown decorated the 12 year old's face. "What do you mean by Johnlock?" 

And so, Malcolm found himself impatiently explaining shipping and OTPs, all of which Ty absorbed. Malcolm supposed that Livvy had wanted to return what little social behaviour Ty had, so he nudged him in that direction. "You've upset your sister." Malcolm said plainly.Ty frowned, his dark eyebrows furrowing. "Livia? I haven't. I wouldn't." Malcolm arched an eyebrow at that. "Well, she seems devastated that you've been ignoring her. Perhaps you should just speak to her?" He suggested. "Yes. --Thank you. For letting me know. I will go and find her now." Ty stood up and left the room quickly, his hands fiddling with a toy. 

Malcolm picked up the abandoned copy of Sherlock Holmes. It had been many years since he had read it. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he faintly remembered Arthur Conan Doyle. A peculiar man, but a good one nonetheless. Malcolm skimmed the words of Tiberius' current page in the collection of short stories. Comprehension dawned upon him, and Malcolm found himself enlightened on one of the Blackthorns he despised so much.

Tiberius Blackthorn read, because his whole life he had seen the world differently to everybody else. When he read, he had to read the same words as everybody else. Books were the one thing he did not interpret in a different way to other people.

Malcolm supposed that Ty had a tendency towards mystery novels because it gave his brain something to focus on, something to piece out. And as for Sherlock Holmes being his favourite novel- well, Malcolm could easily see how Ty was fairly similar to Sherlock.

Mystery novels were never Malcolm's favourite though. It was horrible not knowing, never being certain, suffering eternally in the depths of your own mind. He knew this himself, from the mystery of his love. The mystery of his Annabel.

Malcolm retreated back downstairs, where Ty and Livvy were now sitting next to eachother. Livia looked satisfied. Malcolm didn't get a word of gratitude. He didn't particularly care. Ty's steel grey eyes flitted around the room, never focusing on one thing in particular. Malcolm wondered if he was able to find clues as rapidly as Sherlock like that.

 

2

Malcolm was at the Institute, in the Library. He was hunting for books about true love, in order to criticise it's rather inaccurate portrayal across all medias. 

 

In the corner, on a dark red velvet beanbag, was Drusilla, a book in her hands and quite a horrifying smirk on her face. Though Malcolm supposed all Blackthorns were evil. It was in their nature. Their blood. It's a modern mundane book, Malcolm can tell. Though, knowing Dru it was definetly not Twillight or Spare Brides. She hated romantic stories like those. He pitied her. She was so emersed in the book that she hadn't even noticed Malcolm's precense, which wasn't very Shadowhunter like. Dru lesmt back slightly into her beanbag, revealing her book's title and author. 'Salems Lot, by Stephen King. Malcolm sighed, alerting Drusilla of his existence. He should've known.

"Oh, hey, Malcolm! You got a girlfriend yet?" Dru said in greeting, as usual. Malcolm wanted to throttle her, but that would be unwise. "Hello, and no. True love just doesn't seem to present in Los Angeles." He replied with an exaggerated, melodramatic sigh. "Sure it is. You just haven't found it." Dru assured him, but she was already lost in he book, so the words meant nothing. Besides, he had found true love. He just needed to bring it back. To life.

Drusilla began to cackle, falling back into her beanbag. "What is it? Is there pizza sauce on my face again?" Malcolm asked. "No, it- it's my book. Someone just got impaled by loads of knives, because the stairs had been sawed away and they didn't know!" She managed between her laughs. Malcolm didn't know what was so hilarious about it to send a 12 year old girl in to hysterics, but he gave a little giggle anyway. 

And, once again, she was off in her land of horror.

Malcolm figured her out fairly easily. From what Julian had told him, he knew that Dru was one of the Blackthorn children plagued most by nightmares. She was fiercly loyal to her siblings, like Julian, and would die for them.  Perhaps, one day, Malcolm would make that the case. But that's off topic. Drusilla read horror novels and watched horror movies because that way, she could focus on the scariness of fictional lives and other people's lives, rather than her own. She could love in a fantasy world where she's just an onlooker, not someone regularly facing worse.

Malcolm hated horror, personally. When there was too much gore and trauma, love was lost, and Malcolm did not want to lose his love more than he already had. 

 "The Shining is better." Malcolm said eventually. Dru made a face. "No. It isn't. I would know. I've read that one, too." She told him. He forced himself not to wrinkle his nose. Perhaps if was just his prejudices against the Blackthorns, but Malcolm thought that there was far too much arrogance in Dru's words. "I'm older and wiser. I'm sure I know better." Malcolm teased. Dru gave him a deadly stare. "No one knows more about horror than me. You could live forever, and I could live for one more day, and I would still know more for all eternity." She said, and then returned to 'Salems Lot without another word. 

 

3

Malcolm absolutely despised babysitting, and he absolutely despised Octavian Blackthorn. The 6 year old was too young to keep him company, and much too young to know anything interesting. Still, Malcolm gave him toys and candy just to keep him quiet.

Without a word on whether was going, Tavvy stood up and hurried off, nearly tripping over his own feet. When he emerged from the doorway, there was a book in his small hands. Malcolm wanted to pry it away from him, but Octavian could be incredibly stubborn and reluctant when it came to sharing. 

Malcolm wanted to jump up in glee when he saw the title of Tavvy's book. Romeo and Juliet. Sure, the kids version, but Eros was Eros. "I didn't know that you liked to read." Malcolm said, gesturing towards Romeo and Juliet. Tavvy looked up and grinned. His two front teeth were missing. Malcolm wished he had knocked them out himself. "I do. Books are the best." Tavvy said, sounding serious. For a 6 tear old, that is. "Especially romantic ones, since you're breading Romeo and Juliet?" Malcolm promoted. Maybe, just maybe, he would be able to tolerate this Blackthorn. "No. Especially all of them. I'll read anything and everything." Octavian informed him, flicking over the page of his book. Malcolm felt his heart sink a little, despite hating Blackthorns and Tavvy still enjoying romance novels. Not even Catarina would read the same books he wanted to read. Maybe Tavvy would. "Say, Octavian. Have you read the book 50 Shades of Grey?" Malcolm asked carefully, watching the child with calm violet eyes. "No... is it good? One day I'll read every book." Malcolm very much doubted that, but if he read 50 Shades, Malcolm wasn't complaining. "It's the best. I have a copy. I can summon-" 

Malcolm did not get to finish that sentence, because apparently Julian had heard Malcolm persuading Tavvy to read 50 Shades. The 16 year old looked at him judgily. "My baby brother will not be reading that book." He told Malcolm, who rolled his eyes. "He wants to! It's not like he'll understand those type of scenes, anyway." Malcolm protested. "What type of scenes? I will get them!" Tavvy chimed in. Julian turned to him. "Be quiet. You need to nap." Malcolm figured he just didn't want to explain erotic fiction, and Tavvy looked like he definetly did not want to sleep. "I'll take him." Malcolm said, taking Tavvy by hand and in to his bedroom. 

Octavian was twitching from nightmares that Malcolm refused to wake him from. Instead, he analysed Tavvy's reading. Dru, the second youngest, was 6 years his senior. That was a very large age gap. Malcolm decided that Tavvy read a lot and read everything because he had nothing else to entertain him. Eventually, imagination for games ran dry, and he was too much younger to join in with the others. And so, he had turned to books, because what else could he do? 

Malcolm loved romance novels. He could pretend that the characters were him and Annabel, alive and in love. So, Tavvy had to be the best Blackthorn, if he read those. At least that was the case with Malcolm's logic, or lack thereof.

4

Malcolm watched as Tavvy curled into his older sister, Dru, who was rummaging through bookshelves. Nearby, Ty was sitting on a plush arm chair, watching everything but his siblings' eyes. Dru turned to Ty. "Do any of your mysteries have horror in them?" She asked eagerly. "All books good..." Tavvy mumbled sleepily into his sister's black pajamas. "Of course." Ty told Dru, and he immediately located a story. Maybe, if Malcolm hadn't loved Annabel so dearly, he would have felt his heart soar as he watched Tiberius read to Drusilla and Octavian until all three of them were asleep in the library, cuddling. But, love was cruel, whether it was familial, platonic or romantic. Just as Malcolm had lost Annabel, the Blackthorns would lose eachother, likely due to Malcolm himself. Or so he hoped.

 


End file.
